SOLARIS
US, 2002, 99 minutes, Colour.
George Clooney, Natascha Mc Elhone, Viola Davis, Jeremy Davies, Ulrich Tukur.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
An exploration of themes of God, death, relationships in the guise of a non-action science fiction film. George Clooney plays a psychologist who is asked to travel to a space station to assess what has gone wrong with the mission and with the minds of the crew. While there, his dead wife re-appears, raising puzzlement about life after death, the impact of love and the possibility of forgiveness. Perhaps the planet, Solaris, is meant as an image of Purgatory/Heaven.
Clooney describes Solaris in these terms, "What makes Solaris relevant today, is that it deals with the basic issues we constantly question and wonder about: love, death, after-life. The things we don't have answers to. We want to define things and those things we can't define, terrify us. We want to know how high is up, how old is eternity. Everything we know as humans has limits - a beginning, a middle and an end. No one in this story has answers, they just have really good, smart questions."
Audiences who appreciate more thoughtful drama, rather than slam-bang action, will see the similarities between Solaris and Stanley Kubrick's cinema-poem, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which raised similar questions in 1968.
Solaris is based on a Russian novel by Stanislaw Lem. It was filmed in the USSR in the early 1970s by a Russian director who is now considered one of the masters of cinema, Andrei Tarkovski. Thirty years ago, audiences noticed the similarities with 2001 and were intrigued by a Russian film-maker venturing into themes of spirituality. Clooney's Solaris is directed by Steven Soderbergh whose recent successes include Traffic, Erin Brockovich and Ocean's Eleven. Soderbergh did not want to do a remake. Rather, he wanted to offer the themes and the questions to a contemporary, wider audience. Many have found it beautiful to look at but too puzzling and demanding. But Soderbergh and Clooney are trying to show how films can take us deeper than simple entertainment.
1. The impact of science fiction? Blended with philosophy and theology?
2. The influence of 2001: A Space Odyssey? The Russian version of Solaris? Visuals? Effects? Intelligence? The future?
3. The work of Steven Soderbergh, working in a variety of genres? Adapting the Russian novel?
4. The quality of the visuals? Earth and its ordinariness, the train, the clubs, homes? The contrast with Space? The spaceship and the interiors? The technology? Solaris itself? The beauty? The musical score and its tone, piano?
5. The focus on Chris Kelvin, George Clooney and his presence, his character? His ordinary life, at home, alone? The call, the visitors, the request to go to Solaris? His decision? His arrival, the atmosphere of mystery?
6. Hearing the sounds, Snow and his listening to the radio? Snow as a character, young, his style, offhand? His explaining that Gibarian had killed himself? The presence of Gibarian’s son?
7. The contrast with Gordon, alone in her room, refusing entry? Opening the door, talking with Chris? Her scientific and technological background? Her experiences, the Depression?
8. The ownership of the spaceship, governmental, selling it to private enterprise? Harvesting Solaris? Energy? The film’s comment on multinationals, ownership, exploration of Space, exploitation?
9. Rheya? Appearing, her character, her presence, the mystery? The verbal interchanges with Chris? The memories of the past? Her being a fantasy? Chris and his sending her into Space?
10. The flashbacks for the past, the encounter on the train, going out, the dance, sharing, the sexual relationship, the sensuality, sharing of mind and heart? The nature of love? Her erratic behaviour? The discussion with Chris and his friends, especially about religion and God? Her own beliefs?
11. Gordon, the explanations of what was happening? Her advice? Snow and his seeing his brother, like confronting himself, the corpse in the roof?
12. The effect on Chris, Rheya’s reappearance, continuing to talk, the puzzle, her being herself and not herself? Her realising this?
13. Chris, his wish fulfilment, forgiveness of Rheya for her death, wanting to hold on to her? Letting her go?
14. The reality of the situation, Gordon and her wanting to return to Earth?
15. Solaris – as a location, as a state of mind, purgatory, heaven or hell? The philosophy of relationship? Relative reality? The spirituality of love? The psychological dimension of wish fulfilment? Love and identity?
16. Solaris, its power?
17. The film not popular with audiences – but in a strong tradition of intelligent science fiction?
